Hostage of Obsession
by jbduenweg
Summary: From the moment Hans Gruber could get his hands on Marianne McClane, he doubts he will ever let her go... Hans/OC
1. California!

**Chapter 1 – California!**

Marianne McClane closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. The plane had just landed in L.A., and she felt her eagerness rising, despite her very relaxed state. It had been over six months since she has seen her mother and her little siblings, John Jr. and Lucy. When her parents separated, she had decided to stay with her father in New York to finish High School while her mother flew to L.A to pursue her career. Every time Marianne thought of her mother, her blood boiled. She saw her as a self-centered bitch who had valued her career over her family, which she had torn right in half to do so. Marianne was ready to graduate and be on her own, but not before she makes sure her parents get back together, and bring her mother to her senses.

"You don't like flying, do you?" she heard a man's voice speak. Marianne opened her dark brown eyes and looked around. Apparently, she had to sit behind her father during the whole flight instead of next to him, where the salesman sat.

"What gives you that idea?" her father retorted.

"You wanna know the secret to surviving air travel?" the salesman replied. Marianne rolled her eyes. _So the guy's got a cure to sell, huh?_

"After you get to where you're going," the salesman went on. "Take off your shoes and your socks and you walk around on the rug barefoot and make fists with your toes."

Marianne blinked. _Is he serious? _She felt like bursting into laughter, but kept quiet in anticipation of her father's reply.

"Fists with your toes?" he responded, a little amused. The salesman laughed nervously in reply.

"I know, I know, it sounds crazy," he said. "Trust me, I've been doing it for nine years. Yes, sir – better than a shower and a hot cup of coffee." He continued chuckling. Marianne felt her irritation rise. She quickly unbuckled herself, and rose to grab her bag out of the carry-on luggage compartment.

"Oookaaay," she heard her father murmur with annoyance as he unbuckled himself and reached up for his luggage. Then he noticed that the once-cheery salesman had his wary eyes fixed on the butt-end of his pistol that was concealed in his jacket.

"It's okay, I'm a cop," he replied with a confident smirk as he retrieved his belongings. "Trust me, I've been doing it for eleven years."

Suddenly, Marianne felt something large and furry knock her over the head. It was the giant teddy bear her father brought for John and Lucy. Her thick brown hair became charged with static electricity and stuck out all over the place.

"Hey, dad! Watch it!" she cried, combing her hair back and fixing it with her fingers. Her dad just chuckled. He turned around to head out of the plane, when he nearly bumped into a pretty stewardess. He grinned at her suggestively. She smiled back, flattered by his unspoken flirtatiousness. Seeing all of this, Marianne reached up tapped him on the shoulder.

"Cool it, Dad," she said. Good thing she lived with him, or he would've brought a woman home with him every night. _So much for getting him back together with Mom. _Marianne thought bitterly.

They made their way out of the plane and into the airport. John handed her the bear, and lit up a cigarette. Marianne made a face as she fanned the smoke away from her face with a magazine she had. She and her father kept their eyes locked onto the luggage track thing for their bags.

Within a few minutes, she and John grabbed their bags from the track. They followed the crowd through the airport. Marianne noticed her father stop and stare at a good-looking, belly-baring blonde, who let out a squeal and jumped onto a muscular young man that was standing a few feet behind him. John shook his head, baffled.

"California," he muttered sarcastically.

"Tell me about it," Marianne sighed, pulling her suitcase along with one hand, and holding the oversized bear with the other.

They walked for a few more feet, when they were met by crowds of suited men holding signs with people's names scribbled on them. _Limo drivers. Nice, _thought Marianne. As they were heading for the exit, she noticed one young driver wearing shades holding a neatly-written sign that said "J. McClane". She hurriedly stepped towards her father, and tugged his sleeve. He stopped and looked to where she was pointing. He approached the young man with wariness.

"Hey, I'm John McClane," he announced.

"Argyle," the young man replied. "I'm your limo driver." He smiled awkwardly. John nodded as he studied him. Argyle glanced at Marianne before addressing John again.

"Nice bear," he said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. John continued to study him for a moment longer, before he smiled – in indicator that he trusts him (to an extent).

"Okay... Argyle," he said. "Whadda we do, now?"

"Uh..." Argyle removed his glasses, revealing a pair of friendly dark eyes. "I...I was hoping you could tell me... It's my first time driving a limo."

"Ah, it's okay," John replied. "It's our first time riding in one." He turned to Marianne. "This is my daughter, Marianne."

"Nice meeting you," Argyle politely smiled at her. But he couldn't help checking her out for a brief fraction of a second. John caught it, however, and proceeded to warn him.

"She's seventeen," he said. Argyle glanced nervously at John, and gulped. Marianne managed to smile back at Argyle, despite her father's protectiveness.

* * *

John rode in the front seat by Argyle, Marianne sat in the back by the bear. She kept herself occupied with exploring all of the features in the vehicle. It was quite exciting to ride in a limo, despite the fact she had lived in New York City all her life.

"Relax," Argyle said to John, who was obviously a little annoyed about everything in particular. "We've got everything in this mug, man! Look at this! CD, CB, TV, telephone, full bar, VHS..." he laughed. "If your friend's hot to trot, I know a few mama bears to hook up with."

Marianne opened her mouth to protest, but Argyle kept talking: "Or is he married?"

"He's married," John quickly replied, but with not much enthusiasm. Marianne, however, sighed with relief. _Argyle is not at stupid as he looks. _She proceeded to occupy herself with her magazine.

"Okay..." Argyle wanted John to expound, but then he saw that John had found a piece of sandwich wrapping next to him. "Oh...sorry about that..." an embarrassed Argyle snatched up the paper and threw it in the back, hitting Marianne in the knee – much to her disgust. "It's the girl's day off. I didn't know you were gonna sit up front..." he went on.

_Oh, go to friggin' hell, you slob! _She seethed, kicking the paper aside with the pointy toe of her brown leather boots.

A short moment of awkward silence followed. "So, your lady live out here?" Argyle asked. Marianne squirmed. The subject of her parent's separation had always bugged her a good deal.

"About the past six months," John answered, inserting a cigarette into his mouth.

"Meaning you still live in New York?" Argyle concluded. John proceeded to light his cigarette. Marianne glared into the back of his head.

"You always ask so many questions, Argyle?" John retorted, impatience in his voice. _Really! Shut up, Argyle! _Marianne mentally shouted as she glared at Argyle's face through the rearview mirror. Argyle just laughed in reply.

"Sorry, man," he cheerily apologized. "I used to drive a cab and people would expect a little chit-chat." Without missing a beat, he proceeded to ask the worst question Marianne could imagine. "So, you divorced?"

"Just drive the car, man," John growled. Marianne proceeded to tune out the rest of the conversation, but she could still hear it – and it was painful for both her and her father.

"Hey, come on!" Argyle pressed on with impatience. "You divorced? You separated? She beat you up?" he laughed when he spoke the last one.

"She had a good job," John replied. "It turned into a great career."

"And to hell with the rest of us," Marianne mumbled. Luckily, they didn't hear her.

"That meant she had to move here," Argyle figured out.

"You're very fast, Argyle," John sarcastically complimented. _Obviously, _thought Marianne, not looking up from her magazine.

"So, why didn't you come?" Argyle quickly asked. John didn't answer. He was looking up at the great, beautiful structure of the Nakatomi building. Argyle didn't give up: "Well? Why didn't you come with her, man? What's up?"

"Because I'm a New York cop," John answered flatly. "I got a six-month backlog of New York scumbags I'm still trying to put behind bars. I just can't pick up and go that easy."

"In other words, you thought she wasn't gonna make it out here," Argyle said with laugher in his voice. "And she'd come crawling on back to you, so why bother to pack, huh?" He cracked up laughing. Marianne felt like kicking him around a bit for fun. But her dad was right...

"Like my Dad said, you're very fast, Argyle," she spoke up, her eyes still on the same sentence of a fashion article she had been 'reading' since she got in the limo back at the airport. They both were staring at her through the rearview mirror when she looked up at them.

"Mind if we hear some tunes?" Argyle asked after a moment. He shoved a cassette into the tape deck, pressed 'Play', and turned the volume up. Upbeat rap music filled the stale air of the limo. Marianne rocked her head to the beat. She's heard this song before...

"Yeah, that'll work," Argyle thought aloud about the music.

"Don't you got any Christmas music?" John sneered. He obviously hated this stuff. But his attitude didn't get Argyle down.

"This _**is**_ Christmas music!" he happily stated. As Marianne listened to the music, the limo pulled into the round-about driveway in front of the building. John quickly got out, but Argyle started up his chatter again: "So your lady sees you, you run into her arms, the music comes up and you live happily ever after, right?"

"I can live with that," John replied, smushing out his cigarette with his shoe. He kept his eyes fixed on the building towering over him. Marianne decided to leave her stuff and the bear in the car for later.

"So if it doesn't work out, man, you two got a place to stay?" Argyle asked with concern.

"I'll find a place," John replied, a little half-heartedly.

"I'll tell you what," said Argyle. "I'm gonna pull in the parking garage, and I'll wait. You score, give me a call on the car phone." He handed John his card that had the limo phone number. "I'll take your bags to the desk. You strike out, I'll get you a hotel."

John smiled, pleased with Argyle's caring nature. "You're all right, Argyle." They shook hands.

"Just remember that when you sign for the tip," Argyle joked. Marianne smiled. "Thanks, Argyle," she said.

"You're welcome," Argyle smiled back. John shut the passenger door. He and Marianne walked through the rotating glass door into the building. The entrance was beautiful. Marianne gazed at the huge Christmas tree in the corner, at the company logo behind the great stone and wood desk an well-dressed desk clerk stood behind. She and John approached the desk.

"Hi," said John, getting the desk clerk's attention.

"Good evening," he replied.

"We're here to see Holly McClane," said John.

The desk clerk pointed his pencil towards the front of the desk. "Just type it in there."

Marianne blinked. _Ooh, technology! _She tapped her finger on the screen. The screen changed, and the alphabet appeared below _"Nakatomi Plaza Directory: Touch Key With First Letter Of Person's Last Name". _John smirked with amusement.

"Cute toy," he said. Marianne touched the letter _"M" _for 'McClane'. The screen changed again, displaying everyone with the last name beginning with 'M'.

"Yeah," the desk clerk agreed. "If you need to take a leak, it'll even help you find your zipper."

Marianne stopped herself from laughing at the joke as she and her father scanned the names. She pressed _"Next Screen". _The next page appeared. No "McClane" was visible. Marianne frowned...why wasn't her mother's name in the computer?

"Hit 'Exit'," John instructed. She complied. Her father reached around her, and hit the letter _"G"_. Now she was confused. Why 'G'? The screen changed – and much to Marianne's horror, her mother's name was there: _"Holly Gennaro"_.

"What?" she gasped under her breath. It was her mother's maiden name! She felt her rage build..

"Christ," John muttered, angered and frustrated. He hit the button with her name, and the screen changed to a map to her location in the building. "Thirtieth floor..." he wondered aloud.

"The party," the desk clerk explained. "They're the only ones left in the building." He pointed with his pencil to the left. "Take the express elevator. Get off where you hear the noise."

"Thanks," said John. Marianne cleared the screen, and they both headed under the archway where the desk clerk pointed. Although Marianne didn't notice it, but the desk clerk leaned forward over the desk to take in the view of Marianne's lovely booted legs and tight-fitting mauve miniskirt.

While whistling 'Jingle Bells' John slowly walked down the hall, studying his surroundings. He saw some security cameras in the corner, and a security guard leaning against the wall next to an elevator, picking his nails. John gave him a polite nod as he and Marianne rounded the opposite corner. He pressed the button on the express elevator, and they waited. John kept his eyes glued on the guard the entire time.

'Ding' went the elevator. The door opened, and John and Marianne stepped inside. Marianne pressed '30', the door slid shut, and the elevator started to move.

"You gonna be nice to Mom when you see her?" John said. Marianne shrugged.

"Sure why not?" she replied. "I mean, she's completely abandoned us, after all."

"Cool it, Marianne," he scolded. "I'm pretty sure she'll come around one of these days."

"What?" she gasped in mock surprise. "And leave all this? Yeah, right!"

"Just...be nice," John sighed. "It's Christmas Eve. We'll only stay for a couple of days, anyways."

Just then, Marianne heard 'party noises' growing louder and louder. The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Inside was a great crowd of people, violin music, and Christmas decorations everywhere. "Wow," said Marianne with disgust. "These Californians sure can't pull it off, can they?"

"Got that one right," John replied. They walked into the party. A waiter approached them with a tray. "Champagne, sir?" he asked.

John took a glass with a "thank you". The waiter turned to Marianne. She held up her hand, and shook her head. "No, thank you."

They proceeded to make their way through the crowd. Men and woman drank and flirted with one another, laughing and talking. She looked around, and found the violinists above her, playing on the balcony.

The place was incredible. Indoor waterfalls, woodwork, stonework, and the list goes on. _Damn! _She thought with awe. John scanned the area for Holly. Shaking his head, he stepped down on some stairs as he took his first sip of the champagne.

Nearly gagging, he set the full cup on the tray of a passing waiter, and continued to search the area, walking slowly. Marianne noticed that he spotted an attractive blonde woman on the other side of the waterfall structure, leaning against a pillar and talking to a couple of coworkers. Marianne gave up. He won't stop eyeing women until he's back with her mother...but that was less likely than her father getting someone new.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" he said. Apparently, he had bumped into another woman with brown hair who wore a frightening pair of enormous red glasses. She raised her glass to him before she disappeared into the crowd. About a half second later, Marianne stopped short when a man bounded towards them and grabbed her father by the arm.

"Hey!" he grinned, planting a kiss on John's cheek. "Merry Christmas!"

Disgusted, John shoved him away, and wiped the kiss off his cheek. Marianne, however, was cracking up with laughter. She could hardly breathe. It was the funniest thing she had ever seen since she left New York.

"Jesus!" John gasped. "Fuckin' California!" He glared at Marianne, who still was laughing.

"It's not funny, Marianne!" he stated, red showing on his cheeks.

"Yeah, it is!" she laughed back. John's scowl softened, and he put an arm around his daughter.

"It's been a long time since I've last seen you laugh. I feel so much better, now," he said...a little sardonically at the end. At that moment, something caught his eye – a older Asian man standing by the offices, speaking with an older woman. They both approached him when he met eyes John's.

"Hi..." said John. "We're looking for..."

"Holly Gennaro," the man finished. He had a deep, commanding voice with perfect English. American born and raised, Marianne was certain.

"...Yeah..." answered John. The Asian man smiled warmly, glad to finally meet him.

"Then you must be John McClane," he said with his smile. "Joe Takagi." He shook hands with John. "How was your ride in?"

"Nice," John answered. "I have you to thank for that?"

"Seemed the least we could do," Takagi grinned. His gaze fell on Marianne. "And this is..."

"My daughter, Marianne," John introduced, with some pride in his voice.

"How do you do, Marianne?" Takagi smiled, shaking her hand. His hand felt warm and comforting. She liked him – he was genuinely friendly, and not an annoying pain in the ass.

"Quite a place you have here, Mr. Takagi," she complimented.

"It will be if we ever get it finished," he said. "Still several floors under construction." He turned to John. "Holly went to the vault room to fax some documents. She should be back in any minute..." They started into the office area. "In the meanwhile, her office is right back here." Takagi opened the office door, bearing the name _"H. M. Gennaro. Director. Corporate Affairs"_. Marianne had to roll her eyes after reading all of that.

Sounds of sniffing brought her attention. She looked into the far end of the office and saw a man sitting at her mother desk snorting coke! Marianne stopped, her eyes wide. _Who the friggin' hell is this loser?!_

"Ellis?" Takagi asked, addressing the cokehead. Ellis (the cokehead) nervously licked off his finger, pocketed his stuff, and wiped off the desk as he stood. Marianne felt her stomach churn. _Doesn't Takagi give his employees drug tests? _

"I was just making a call," he said, approaching them. "This was the nearest phone."

"Yeah, right," Marianne muttered. Takagi and John shot her a look. She just glared at Ellis like he was a pile of dog crap.

"I want you to meet John McClane," Takagi said awkwardly. "Holly's husband." Ellis approached John. "Holly's policeman," Takagi continued. "And this is Marianne, their daughter." Marianne forced herself to smile at Ellis. Then he proceeded to introduce Ellis to John and Marianne "Ellis is in charge of International Development."

_Looks to me like Ellis shouldn't be in charge of anything, _Marianne thought, still glowering at him. Ellis shook hands with John.

"Heard a heck of a lot about you," Ellis grinned, sniffing. John proceeded to walk past him to Holly's desk.

"Missed some," John quipped as he passed Ellis. As Marianne smirked, Ellis rubbed his nose, and sniffed some more as he turned to Marianne, who was tempted to scream and run away, but smiled coldly and forced herself to shake his outstretched hand. He gave her a suggestive look-over as he smiled.

_Ew. Ew. Ew. _She felt her stomach churn. Touching this creepy cokehead... _Just plain ew!_

"Can I get you anything?" Takagi managed to break the silence. "Food, cake, some watered-down champagne?" He said the last part with a little laugh.

"No, thank you," John answered, looking at a family photo that had been laid face-down. "I'm fine." He turned to Takagi. "You throw quite a party. I didn't realize they celebrated Christmas in Japan."

"We're flexible," Takagi answered. "Pearl Harbor didn't work out, so we got you with tape decks." Marianne was puzzled. _Tape decks? I don't get it... _But Ellis's squawky, phony laugh threw her off even more. She cringed.

"Actually, it's sort of a double celebration," Ellis explained. "We uh...we closed a pretty big deal today, and a lot of it was due to Holly, am I right, Jo-Jo?" He smacked Takagi on the arm. Marianne flinched. This guy was just plain horrible, and he irked her to the bone. John ignored him and continued to study the pictures.

Just then, a familiar voice brought them all to attention. Holly came in through the doorway, and halted at the sight of Marianne and John. John turned and gave her his sweet signature 'smirk'.

"...John..." said Holly, barely above a whisper. "Marianne..." She forced herself to step forward, setting a file down on the desk en route. "Have you met everyone?" she asked as she embraced Marianne. "You look beautiful, sweetie," she whispered, kissing her daughter on the cheek. Marianne was tempted to talk her into quitting and coming with her and her dad back to New York – but she knew that she would never leave this high-rolling life in a fancy company. "Thanks, Mom, so do you," Marianne said, smiling.

"Naw, we've been sticking them with spears," Takagi joked at her first question. "Of course they have!"

Holly walked over to John, who kissed her on the cheek. Marianne felt her heart soar, seeing them so some sort of friendly affection to each other after so long.

"She was made for the business," Takagi continued. "Tough as nails." Marianne knew he was complimenting her out of kindness, but she still wanted him shut up about her career for once.

"I was hoping you two made that flight," said Holly, backing away towards Marianne.

"Show him the watch," Ellis spoke up. Marianne turned to him. He was eying John with contempt. _Watch? What watch? _She wondered. _What's up with this guy?_

"Later," Holly said to Ellis, a little annoyed that he brought it up. Marianne was horrified when she understood what he was talking about. He had bought her mother a watch!

"Well, go on! Show him! What, are you embarrassed?" Ellis said...a little loudly. Marianne cringed again. _Nightmare...nightmare.... _She closed her eyes.

"It's just a small token of appreciation for all her hard work," Ellis cockily continued. "It's a Rolex." He glanced over at Marianne, who was staring at her mother with shock. "I'll get you one, too, if you like."

Shooting Ellis a glare, she politely turned down his offer. "No, thank you. I don't work here."

Everyone laughed at her sarcastic line, but not everyone was comfortable with her comment – Holly and Ellis. John was proud, and Takagi was amused.

"I'm sure we'll see it later," John cooly answered. "Is there a place where I could wash up?"

Holly shrugged and smiled warmly at him. "Sure." Everyone proceeded to follow her out. Ellis and Takagi walked into the party without a word, and Marianne followed after her parents – when she realized that she needed her purse in order to refresh herself. She had left it in the limo!

"Uh, Dad?" she called. They stopped and waited for her to catch up with them. "I need to get my purse out of the limo."

"Fine, go ahead," John said.

"Be careful, honey," Holly smiled.

Without another word, Marianne turned on her heel, and walked quickly in the other direction towards the party.

* * *

It was nice being alone for a moment. Marianne's boots clicked against the cement of the parking garage as she headed for the limo in the distance. She could see Argyle's head in the backseat. _Hopefully, he's not a jerk and didn't go though my bag! _She thought, picking up the pace.

Once she reached the limo, she could hear that Argyle has music up at full blast. She knocked on the window. Argyle, surprised, leaned into the front seat, and unlocked the door. She opened it.

"Any luck with your dad and mom?" he asked after turning the music down.

"Maybe," she answered. "Hey, do you see my purse back there? I need the makeup."

"Sure, no problem!" Argyle said as he went back into the back seat to look for it. Just then, a black truck bearing the name _"Pacific Courier" _pulled in and drove across to the far end of the garage. Marianne turned around and watched it disappear around a corner.

"I found it! It's right here," Argyle handed her a white leather bag. "You aren't staying?"

"I would rather see my parents get back together," Marianne laughed. "Are you coming in?"

"Nah," Argyle grinned. "I'm having more fun out here!"

Marianne furrowed her brow. "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure!" Argyle laughed. "Go on and have fun, cupid!"

She laughed at his joke, and shut the door. As she walked back across the garage, she opened her purse and checked the insides to make sure everything was there.


	2. Hans Gruber

**Chapter 2 – Hans Gruber **

Marianne pushed the door open, entering the first floor of the building. She decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator since it was closer. Her boots clicked along the floor as she continued to dig through her purse. _So far, so good...Argyle is definitely trustworthy – whoa! _Marianne came to a nearly screeching halt when she nearly plowed into a tall, good-looking man wearing a long gray coat over his black suit. Her heart nearly came to a stop from both fright and attraction.

"Oh, crap! I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going..." she gasped, taking in the man's handsome features. He had soft dark hair that was neatly combed back, a well-trimmed beard, a pair of intense, glittering hazel eyes, and a beautiful face. He smiled and let out a chuckle.

"And who might you be?" he spoke. His voice was deep and velvety with a German accent. _So...hot... _Marianne snapped out of her brief spell, and attempted to answer his question.

"Uh...I was just heading up...I had to get my purse..." she stammered, her cheeks flushing. She watched him take his time looking her over: her legs, her small waist, her chest, her face, and even her hair. Marianne felt weak.

"I'm pretty sure I know where you are going," he said slowly. "But what I would _love_ to have is your name."

"Oh!" Marianne mentally kicked herself. "Marianne...McClane."

The man smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. _Oh my God, I love his smile! _Marianne felt giddy. He extended his hand.

"Hans Gruber," he said. Marianne took his hand, and he covered her hand with his other hand while he shook it. "A *pleasure* to meet you..."

She felt like melting from his touch...

"Would you care to join my friends and I in the elevator to the thirtieth floor?" he asked, still smiling. _So...kissable..._

"Um...sure!" Marianne chirped. "I'd love to!"

Hans looked her over again, and then, leading a dazed Marianne by the hand, headed for the elevator. It was already crowded by several casually-dressed men holding large bags. But Marianne was very distracted by Hans to notice them – except that they took up a lot of space in the elevator. _Oh, if we were only alone! I wonder what would happen? _

One of the men standing by the entrance of the elevator pressed the button. The doors shut, and the elevator started to move. Marianne's heart skipped a beat as she shifted her weight towards Hans so that she was barely leaning against him. He glanced down at her and smiled.

"Do you work here?" he asked. Marianne glanced up at him. Their eyes locked, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

"No," she answered. "My mom does, though. I'm here with my dad from New York to visit her."

"Your parents aren't together?" he questioned, a hint of mock sadness in his voice.

"Unfortunately, they aren't," she replied, looking down at her feet. "I'd love for them to get back together, even if just for Christmas..."

There was silence. Marianne had the strongest urge to throw her arms around him, and bury her face in his neck, but she held herself back. _Cool it, Marianne! _She mentally scolded herself. _He's still a stranger! _

Then, the strangest thing happened – Hans pulled his hand out of his pocket, and rested it upon the center of Marianne's back. She felt shivers travel up her spine from his touch. _Whoa, is he a mind reader, or just feels the same way I do? _A hint of nervousness snuck into her system as she felt his hand slowly slide downwards...until she felt it stop right on top of her backside. Her eyes were watering from being held open so wide.

_GROPER! _Her mind screamed at him. As if to make matters worse, she could hear Hans's friends snickering quietly behind her. _These guys are getting a kick out of this! And probably a boner, too..._

She glanced at Hans out of her corner of her eye. He was focused on the elevator door, a somber expression on his face. Then – she felt his hand move again...downwards until he had a good handful of her left cheek. _That's enough, Casanova. _

"Don't get me wrong, Hans, but would you mind not doing that?" she asked as sweetly and as politely as she could. Hans faced her, a slight scowl on his brow. He snapped his hand away and shoved it into his pocket.

"My apologies," he curtly replied before turning away.

_Shit! I knew it would piss him off. _Marianne thought as she watched the floor numbers... "25...26...27...28...29,"

Just then, the men in the elevator started to unzip their bags all at once. Marianne felt her breathing stop when each man pulled out a machine gun out of their bags. _What the... _She felt Hans grab her tightly by the arm. She flinched as she turned and tried to glare at him, but she looked more fearful and confused than angry.

"Now, you promise to behave yourself when we give Mr. Takagi a little..." he smirked. "...Christmas surprise."

Terrified, Marianne kept her eyes on the elevator door. _Ding!_ The doors opened, revealing the Christmas party. No one noticed them enter, their guns held ready. She found her Mom in the crowd, and tried to pull away from Hans, but he yanked her back against him.

"I'll let you go to her when I _feel_ like it!" he growled into her ear. The closeness of his face and body to her own, and the feel of his breath against her cheek made Marianne shiver. She could see him study her lips during their 'close moment' before he pulled away, still holding her arm. _Oh, God! Why do I always get myself involved with the wrong guys?_

_

* * *

**Yeah, I know. The chapter was short, but I wanted to get her meeting Hans before the fun stuff starts! Thanks for reading...and don't forget to leave a review!**_


	3. Power Play

**Chapter 3 – Power Play**

Gunfire shook the air, ringing in Marianne's ears. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to hold her ears with her free hand and her opposite shoulder. She could hear the screams of the guests as they ran about frantically, trying to get away even though they were gathering in the center of the room. Hans's men were dragging the other guests who were hooking up in the offices into the room.

"Please let me go!" Marianne cried, turning her face up at Hans. "Let me go to my Mom! Please!" She felt Hans tighten his grip, unwilling to release her. She stared right into his eyes. Hans stared down at her for the longest moment. His mesmerizing hazel eyes bore into hers, searching, probing.

"Hans...please," she felt at a loss for breath when she said his name. His eyes softened with a hint of...lust? A smile played on his lips. "I _love_ the way you say my name," he purred.

Then, he released her wrist in an instant with a slightly dramatic flair.

"Go," he ordered. Marianne, shocked that he didn't argue or convince her to stay, just stood there, unable to move. "GO!" he barked, causing her to flinch. She quickly turned and ran down the steps into Holly's arms.

"Sweetie, are you all right?" her mother gasped, hugging her tight. "I saw you with them, and.. I hope to God they didn't hurt you..."

"Stay calm...everything's gonna be fine...everything gonna be fine," Ellis was whimpering to himself, with a look of complete and total fear in his eyes as he glanced frantically around at the others. Mr. Takagi stood by Holly, his face set like stone. They watched Ellis trying not to panic.

"No, Mom, I'm fine," Marianne answered, glancing back over her shoulder as they were herded towards the fountain in the center of the room by Hans's men holding their guns high, firing them off. "Where's Dad?" she asked, suddenly aware that she couldn't catch her father's face in the crowd surrounding her.

"I don't know," her mother answered. "He probably got away. You know your father..."

The screaming still rang in Marianne's ears, even though it died down a bit. She spotted Hans standing on a platform in a black suit. One of his men; tall, burly, with shoulder-length blond hair, was speaking to him. Then he walked behind him and leaned against the rock wall, crossing his thick, muscular arms. Hans was holding what looked like an organizer. He opened it as he observed the crowd. He held up his hand to subdue them, since they were still screaming, and a few extra gunshots were fired.

_Yeah – as if that's going to miraculously calm us down! You perverted asshole! _Marianne glowered towards him as she stood next to her mother. _Let's see how far you can get, Mr. Gruber..._

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Hans called out, sounding robotic to Marianne's ears. "Ladies and gentlemen!" The crowd calmed to a more tolerable level. Hans addressed his organizer again, looking over what seemed to be his notes...

"Due to the Nakatomi Corporation's legacy of greed around the globe," he began. "They're about to be taught a lesson in the _real_ use of power..." he raised his eyes towards the crowd, his eyes scanned the faces until they rested on Marianne. She felt her stomach flip – not from flattery, but from disgust.

"You... will be witnesses," he tore his eyes away as he looked down at his notes. Then he quickly shut the book. "Now... where is Mr. Takagi?"

Marianne bit back a gasp, and forced herself not to glance at Takagi, who was standing beside her mother. She was _not_ about to give him away! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother grip Mr. Takagi by the arm. Hans descended the step into the center of the room. _Oh, great... please stay away. _Marianne managed to partially conceal herself behind her mother.

"Joseph Yashinobo Takagi," Hans listed as he descended. "Born Kyoto, 1937..."

"Don't move," Holly whispered to Takagi. Marianne held her breath, her heart pounding in her throat, blood rushing in her ears.

"Family emigrated to San Pedro, California 1939..." Hans went on, observing a male Asian employee as he passed by him. "...interned at Manzanar 1942 to '43..." he scrutinized another Asian man. He kept talking as he drew nearer, and nearer. "...scholarship student, University of California...1955..." he paused in front of a very nervous Ellis. For a split second, Marianne, who was standing right there, compared the two men. _Ellis – ugly and harmless, sort of... Hans...beautiful, intelligent, and extremely dangerous. _

Ellis anxiously shook his head and backed away from him and sat down by Marianne. Hans observed him as if here were a lower, undesired life form. But Marianne was more worried at being less than an arms' length from Hans once again. Who knows what would happen? But as Hans walked by her, he turned his back towards her to observe an aged Asian man in front of him.

"Law degree, Stanford, 1962..." he continued. Marianne felt her ears burn. How can a person know all the details of someone's else's life? "MBA, Harvard, 1970..." he peered at yet another Asian man.

Then he approached another Asian man wearing glasses, who avoided his gaze and turned away. By now, Hans had completely passed Marianne, Holly, and Mr. Takagi by. "President, Nakatomi Trading...Vice Chairman, Nakatomi Investment Group..."

To Marianne's horror, Takagi sprang to his feet. "_Enough_!" his rich voice rang out. Hans slowly turned around to face him. "...and father...of five," he finished, his eyes gleaming menacingly at Mr. Takagi. Marianne's stomach lurched. _It's over. _

"I am Takagi," he stated. Hans grinned, behaving as if he had met his favorite celebrity. "How do you do?" he replied, as he extended a hand for Takagi to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Suddenly, the burly blond man grabbed Takagi and made off with him, the crowd crying out with surprise. Then – both Marianne and her mother were facing Hans. Hans gave Holly a look-over before he giving a mock-polite smile and nod at Marianne.

_What's going to happen to Takagi? Why does he want him? _As Hans was about to walk away, Marianne couldn't restrain herself. "What are you going to do with him?" she desperately inquired, stepping towards him.

Her question was honest. She was concerned about Takagi. Would he come back? Would it be the last time she sees him? Hans turned to her, surprise and interest etched on his attractive face. He slowly stepped towards her, and she quickly stepped back until she was sandwiched between Ellis and her mother again. Hans was less than an arms' length from her.

"Would you care to find out?" he asked, raising his brows expectantly. Marianne blinked, but it was too slow for her to catch Hans's quick movement – he had her by the arm, half-dragging her out of the crowd, which erupted into protest. Holly screamed. "Marianne! Marianne!" she cried, trying to go after her, but Ellis and a co-worker held her back. Hans's men closed in around them, their guns raised threateningly.

Before Marianne could react to the whole thing, she was already in the elevator with Takagi, Hans, the burly blond, and another blond with shorter hair and glasses. Both blonds, of course, carried machine guns at they stood at the rear of the elevator. Marianne, Hans, and Takagi stood at the front by the door. Takagi immediately reacted when Hans entered the elevator with Marianne.

"Leave her out of this!" he insisted, his dark eyes glittering with fury.

"What for?" Hans playfully answered. "Isn't she your employee's daughter?" He glanced at her before continuing. "Besides, she did express her concern about you. Take us to the conference room floor, please."

Takagi cast Hans a glare before entering the floor number – '31'. The elevator started to move. A few moments later, much to Marianne's bewilderment, Hans started humming an off-beat version of 'Ode To Joy' while bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. _This guy has a few loose screws..._ Marianne thought as she, since Hans has thankfully let go of her arm, leaned away.

As Hans hummed, he looked over at Takagi. "Nice suit," he commented. "John Phillips, London." Takagi looked at him, surprise in his eyes. Apparently, it horrified him that Hans even knew the brand of suit he wore.

Hans grinned. "I have two myself." The elevator stopped, the door opened. Hans's grip closed over Marianne's wrist at that very instant. "Rumor has it that Arafat buys his there," he said as he strode out of the elevator, Marianne in tow who was struggling to keep up. They walked into what appeared to be the conference room. Hans let her go as he walked in, a confident style to his stride as he resumed his wordless singing. He admired the models of buildings and whatnot that he passed by, brushing his long, slender fingers over the tables on which the models sat.

Hugging herself, Marianne lagged behind, but not behind the blonds with the guns. They stayed behind her as she watched Hans look at the models. The room seemed to be filled with tables after tables of models. She watched Hans walk... _Jesus, why does he have to make me sick and turn me on at the same time? _

" 'When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept...for there were no more worlds...to conquer.'" Hans finished his quote when he halted at a model of the Nakatomi building itself. He softly chuckled. "Benefits of a classical education...ooh! That's..._beautiful_!" he breathed as he quickly made his way towards a model of a bridge. A grin was plastered across his face, his eyes alight with joy. He circled around the model, taking in every centimeter of it.

"I've always enjoyed to make models as a boy," he explained. "The exactness, the attention to every conceivable detail. It's beautiful." His eyes flicked over Marianne's body for a fraction of a fraction of a second. She felt her cheeks get hot. _Ugh, my God! Hans is weird. Weirder than weird. _

"Is this what this is all about?" Takagi asked incredulously. "Our project in Indonesia? Contrary to what you people may think... we're going to develop that region, not _exploit_ it."

"I believe you," Hans cooly replied. "I read the article in _Forbes_." His serious complexion was instantly replaced by his signature grin. "Mr. Takagi..." he outstretched his hand to escort Takagi into the board room. "I could talk about industrialization and men's fashions all day, but I'm afraid work must intrude. And my associate here has some questions for you. Sort of fill-in-the-blanks questions, actually."

He pushed the glass door into the board room open to allow Takagi, the henchmen, and lastly Marianne inside. He guided Marianne to sit beside him, while Takagi stood on the other side of the large zig-zag table by a black man wearing glasses, who happened to be their techie, since he sat in front of a computer that was built into the table.

"Theo...Mr. Takagi..." Hans introduced. "Theo, could you show him what we need?"

"Yes, sir," Theo answered with enthusiasm. He rubbed his hands together and typed on the keyboard with lightning speed. A moment later, the computer started beeping. Mr. Takagi, who had been watching over Theo's shoulder, looked confused.

"I don't have that code!" he looked at Hans and straightened up, fury building in him. "You broke in here to access our computer? Any information you get, when Tokyo wakes up, they'll change it. You won't be able to blackmail our executives..." Takagi's raising voice was immediately cut off by Hans.

"_Sit_...down!" he barked, eyes flashing. Marianne cringed, her stomach flipping again.

Takagi, his eyes trained on Hans, slowly sat in the chair at the end of the table by Marianne.

"Mr Takagi," Hans began calmly. "I'm really not interested in your computer. But I need the code key...because I am interested in the $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds that you have locked in your vault...and the computer controls the vault."

Marianne couldn't believe her ears. She glanced back and forth between a confused Takagi, and a poker-faced Hans. _What? Hans is robbing the place? What the eff?_

"You want money?" Takagi verified, unbelief showing in his voice and face. "What kind of terrorists are you?"

Hans laughed. His laugh sounded deep, rich, and evil. "Who said we were terrorists?" He continued laughing as he said something in German to the larger blond, who was sitting on the table on the opposite side of Theo, who chuckled in return. Marianne stared down at her hands, feeling as if she were about to cry. _I want my Dad. Where's my Dad?_

Just then, Hans reached into his coat, and pulled out a silver-colored handgun affixed with a silencer. Marianne's eyes went wide and her heart skipped a beat. She leaned away from him, trying to scoot her chair towards the door. Hans cast her a quick warning look. He slowly starting working the silencer loose. She glanced at Mr. Takagi. Sweat was forming at his hairline. Tears stung the backs of her eyes.

"The bonds represent, at most..." Hans spoke, slowly preparing his gun. "...ten days' operating capital for your parent organization. It's really no more than a temporary inconvenience." He unscrewed the silencer, and slowly set it on the table on its end.

"Now...The code, please..." Suddenly, out of nowhere, Marianne was completely taken off her guard when Hans grabbed her by the hair on the back of her head and yanked her towards him. To make things worse, she felt the cold barrel press against her temple. She let out a cry, her heart hammering away until she was sure it would explode. Takagi was horror-stricken.

"How dare you!" he cried out, about to spring to his feet, but the burly blond man was on his feet as well, aiming his machine gun at his head. Takagi, his eyes warily on the blond, slowly sat back down.

"Give me the code, Mr. Takagi," Hans stated, his voice and temperance as cool as ever. "Or she dies."

"It's useless to you. There are seven safeguards on our vault!" Takagi frantically explained. "The code key's only one of them. You will never get it open!"

Marianne struggled, the pain in her scalp making her eyes water. But Hans's grip was too strong and stable, and the barrel of his gun dug deeper into her temple, making her wince with pain.

"Then there's no reason not to tell it to us," Hans replied, relaxing his grip, but not enough for her to pull away. Mr. Takagi's frightened eyes went from Hans to Marianne, and back to Hans again.

"I told you," Theo commented, his tone light and mocking.

"It's not over, yet," the burly blond added, his accent thick, his voice dangerous.

Marianne kept herself from moving. It seemed that whenever she did move, the gun would dig into her flesh, her scalp would cause more pain and discomfort. She didn't enjoy being this close to this heartless villain, who turned and scowled at Theo and the blond for daring to add their two cents in the matter.

Then he turned back to Mr. Takagi. She felt his grip tighten again. She gasped and held her breath. _It's over. I'm gonna die, and Takagi is just forcing it! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! _

"It's a very nice suit, Mr. Takagi," Hans said. "It would be a shame for her to ruin it."

Mr. Takagi just stared at Hans, unmoving, unspeaking. Marianne looked at him expectantly. _Damn it! Just give him the stupid code to your stupid vault! _

"I'm going to count to three," Hans announced. "There will not be a four. Give me the code."

_He's got to be kidding me!_

"One..."

_Jesus, say something Takagi!_

"Two..."

_Oh my God. This is it! I'm gonna die!_

"Three-"

Marianne let out a sob as she squeezed her tearful eyes to brace herself for the bullet – when Takagi's voice spoke – stopping her death in its tracks. "I don't know it, I'm telling you! Get on a jet to Tokyo and ask the chairman, I'm telling you, you're just going to have to kill me."

It took a moment for Marianne to realize what he said. Nothing happened for a split second, when all of a sudden...

"Okay," said Hans.

"_NO_!" Marianne screamed. But it was too late. Hans aimed the gun between Mr. Takagi's eyes, and pulled the trigger. The deafening shot thundered in her ears as she ducked down and covered her head.

A second later, she wished she hadn't looked. Takagi was dead. He laid on his back, still in the chair. Blood covered the glass doors behind him, and more blood was pouring out of the wound between his eyes. Blood was all over his face, running down his neck, and over his suit, and onto the floor.

She felt her insides go numb. Her face and eyes were hot and sticky. Her mouth went dry. She felt herself shaking. Her scalp at the back of her head was throbbing as well as her left temple were the gun barrel was.

Mr. Takagi sacrificed himself to save her. He never knew the code, after all.


	4. Ho, Ho, Ho

**Chapter 4 – Ho, Ho, Ho.**

"We do it the hard way," Hans stated flatly, rising to his feet. "Tony, see if you can dispose of _that_. Karl, you'd better go and check on Heinrich's work on the machine floor."

Karl, the burly blond, stood up as he handed Theo a hundred dollar bill. Suddenly, a distinguishable _thump_ was heard from the other room. All heads snapped towards the glass doors, where the sound came from. Immediately, Karl and the other blond hurried into the other room, leaving Hans alone with Theo and Marianne.

Meanwhile, Marianne had gone into a state of shock, hunched over in her chair, hugging herself and rocking back and forth as she stared blankly down at Takagi's body. Her body was shaking, her stomach churning. She couldn't cry, she couldn't scream. It felt as if the whole world came crashing down upon her. Why did Takagi have to die? As illogical as it sounded, Marianne felt as if it was _her_ fault he was killed. Suddenly, she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder.

"Stop that," Hans ordered, tightening his grip to make her stop rocking. His voice was calm, but clipped and cold. "This won't be the first corpse you'll see, I guarantee it. Now, come with me."

Marianne stood up and numbly followed Hans out with Theo behind her. She watched Karl and his comrade searching frantically here and there for whatever caused the sound earlier. She didn't care. Mr. Takagi was dead. Would Hans have still killed him if she didn't go along? It was probable, but she would've seen it, and it would've scarred her mind for the rest of her life.

Karl ran to a pair of wooden doors at the corner of the room. He opened it and peeked in. Nothing. He rain to a glass door on the other side of the corner. He tried to open it, but it was locked. He turned and trotted back to Hans, the other blond joining him.

"Nothing," he stated, putting his gun away.

"See to Heinrich," Hans ordered. They immediately hurried out of the room.

"Now..." said Hans to Theo, who was standing behind him. "...you _can_ break the code..."

"You didn't bring me along for my charming personality," Theo coolly replied.

Marianne felt her insides churn when she saw that smug grin spread across Hans's face once again. He snatched her by the elbow as he walked away towards the elevator as Theo followed along. She glanced behind her has she was towed along. The blood covered the once-beautiful glass doors of the conference room. Swallowing a sob, she pulled her eyes away.

They were back inside the elevator, Marianne was put in between Theo and Hans. She folded her hands in front of her and she looked down at her feet, trying to keep her eyes on a stable place. Her stomach was turning over and over. She felt like she was going to be sick. It took every fiber of her being not to break down into tears. She clenched her jaw. _I'm not going to cry __and give that horrible, horrible man the satisfaction! Not happening! _

"Tell me, how are you to go about it?" Hans asked Theo. She closed her eyes. How she wanted to be rid of that voice!

"Meaning..." Theo turned to him, the lights inside the elevator reflecting off his glasses.

"What must be done to break the code, and how long will it take?" Hans clarified. '_Ding!' _The elevator stopped, and the door slid open. _All he wants is money. He'll learn... he'll learn._

"Thirty minutes the break the code," Theo began as he strode out of the elevator with Hans and Marianne, confidence in his voice. "Two hours, maybe two and a half hours for the five mechanicals – at the minimum. The seventh lock, however, is out of my hands."

They walked down a short corridor into a room. At the very end of the corridor, Theo ran a card through a scanner mounted on the wall to his right. After the card was accepted, a large pair of heavy doors right around the corner started to open. She watched with interest, but her insides kept churning. She tried with all her might not to get sick. Hans released her as he walked toward the front of the door for a better look.

Inside was a curved metal door – the door to the vault itself. Next to it was a panel with a keypad. Hans crossed his arms, watching the panel intently. The panel came to life; it displayed a message, replacing the one it had previously. Hans slowly looked away, deep in thought, when his eyes found Theo.

"...I'm sorry..." he said. Apparently, he had missed the last part of Theo's rundown.

"The seventh lock," repeated Theo. "The electromagnetic seal...you do understand the circuits cannot be cut locally."

Hans looked as if he might grin again...but he didn't. "Trust me," he replied. Marianne clenched her jaw even tighter. '_Trust me?' Not on your life, mister!_

Just then – Marianne realized that she _was_ about to be sick. She wasn't going to make it back downstairs without a mess! She took a few even breaths, but that just made it worse. _Oh no... oh God..._

"Come on," Hans commanded, gripping her arm again. She pulled back, causing him to stop – he glared at her, his eyes wide with shock and a hint of anger.

"Wait..." she said, ignoring his penetrating gaze. "I need... I need to use the bathroom."

Hans stared at her incredulously, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Can't it wait?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. She felt her insides getting worse. "I need to go. Please... I _need_ to go!"

Hans sighed and turned to Theo. "Theo, are there restrooms on this floor?"

"Yes," replied Theo. "Just go back up this hall and take a right." Hans grabbed up Marianne again, and the both strode up the hall and made a right. A small amount of relief washed over Marianne as she approached the ladies room. Hans stopped and let her go.

"You have two minutes," he stated flatly. Marianne threw a dirty look at him before she turned and went into the bathroom. She ran to the closest stall. Banging the little door open, Marianne let it all out into the toilet in front of her. Her throat stung, her guts spasmed, her breath shortened. Her internals not yet satisfied, she retched again. Looking down at the disgusting contents of her lunch earlier, Marianne wiped her mouth with a piece of tissue and flushed it down the toilet.

Feeling exhausted, out of breath, miserable, grief-stricken, guilty all at the same time Marianne broke down into sobs, which grew more intense with each passing second. Tears flowed as her body shook. She slid down into sitting position in the corner of the stall, weeping her heart and soul away.

Just then, the stall door opened. Marianne caught her breath as she looked up at the figure through her blurry eyes. Hans was standing over her, staring down at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"Go away," she whimpered, turning away. She hugged her knees to her chest, sniffling. "This is the girl's bathroom."

She expected Hans to chuckle at her childish remark, but, to her surprise, he didn't make a sound. Then, he reached down and pulled her up by the arm. Marianne's legs felt weak and wobbly. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible, but her deplorable state caused her to slump against him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her up. Her face was pressed against his chest, her nose filling with his scent, which she found quite pleasing and soothing.

"Now, now," Hans murmured. "There's need for you to cry."

"There's every reason for me to cry," Marianne sobbed into his chest. "You killed him. I saw you... It was horrible..."

She felt secure being in his arms, which confused and frustrated her. He was the one who made her break down in the first place. He was the one who started all this mess. She only wanted to see her parents back together for Christmas.

Her parents!

It hit her like a jolt of electricity. _Dad! It was Dad making that noise! He saw Hans put a gun to my head! He saw Hans kill Mr. Takagi! _Her heart started pounding. She felt her face get hot from shame – if her father could see her now, letting Hans Gruber hold her close to his body, comforting her.

With that revelation – Marianne straightened up and gently pulled away from Hans. "I need to clean off my mascara," she said, sniffling. It was true. In the mirror, she could see her black mascara running down her cheeks, making her look freakish.

Also in the mirror, she could see Hans standing next to her, his hands in his pockets, watching her with pure interest on his face. Tearing her eyes away, Marianne grabbed a piece of tissue, pumped soap into it, and turned on the water. Using the tissue, she managed to wipe as much mascara off her face as possible. Then she threw the tissue away.

"Are you ready?" Hans gently asked, a slightly enamored look in his eyes as he watched her in the mirror's reflection. Marianne glanced at him through the reflection. She nodded, looking down at she turned off the water in the sink. She could see the last dark streaks of her mascara disappear down the drain. Hans strode to the bathroom door, and held it open for her. She briefly glanced up at him before she walked through.

"We'll take the stairs," Hans suggested. Marianne quietly followed. When they finally reached the balcony that overlooked the thirtieth floor, Hans's walkie-talkie came to life: "_We've got a fire alarm_."

Without losing strike, Hans answered the alert. "Call 911, give them the guard's name, the building code number, and cancel the alarm. Then, disable the sys..." Hans paused, taken aback.

By then, they were halfway down the stairs. Blood was rushing in Marianne's ears. Had her father set off the alarm so they could all be rescued? Her heart hammered again. They had stopped where the blond with glasses was standing guard. Hans turned and looked at him. He looked back. Marianne glanced back and forth between them, uncertain what that was all about. Then, Hans addressed the walkie-talkie again. "Eddie, on what floor did the alarm go of?"

"_Thirty-two_," Eddie replied. Hans quickly turned to the blond. "Tony, go check floor thirty-two," he ordered. Tony obeyed at once without a word. Marianne was horrified. Now, her father was in danger! Of course, Hans wasn't aware that her father was running loose about the place, and neither was the rest of his crew. She decided to keep quiet about that. The last thing she or her father needed was Hans using her as bait!

Hans continued downstairs, Marianne following. She saw her mother sitting at the fountain by Ellis. Instinctively, she started towards her mother, when Hans gripped her by the back of her jacket, stopping her. "No...no, you _stay_," he said. She whirled around to him, her eyes wide with shock.

"Stay?" she felt her mouth go dry. Hans snatched her by the wrist and jerked her towards him as he grabbed her other wrist. He pulled her up close to him, and put his face into hers. He spoke, his voice low and slightly quavering. "You know too much. In that case, you stay with me..._at all times_."

A few tense seconds passed. Their eyes locked. Marianne knew that she had no choice. She lowered her eyes, and Hans released her wrists. He strode past her, and she followed. She looked into the group, and found her mother's face, who looked back, questioning. Saddened, Marianne looked away, and followed Hans into her mother's office – which he had taken over as his own.

He pointed to a chair. "Sit there, Marianne," he ordered as he walked over to her mother's desk, and made himself comfortable behind it. Marianne sat. The cool leather chilled her legs and backside through her thin miniskirt and bare legs that were not covered by her boots. At that moment, Hans was back on his feet.

"Stay here," he said. "I'm going to address the others." He headed for the door, when he paused and turned around. "Is there anything you need? Food? Drink?"

Surprised, Marianne looked up at him. "No...well...maybe water, but can get-"

"No, you can't, I'm afraid," Hans curtly replied. "I'll have one of my men bring it in to you." He turned around and went out the door, quickly shutting it behind him. She watched Hans approach one of his men with dark curly hair, and murmur into his ear. The man gave Hans a quizzical look, then lower his gun to fulfill his order. She saw Hans sit on the buffet table, helping himself to food. Then the curly-haired man blocked her view. He was coming into the office with a plastic cup of ice water.

He marched through the door, held the cup out to Marianne, who nimbly took it, and turned on his heel and marched back out without a word, slamming the door behind him. Pulling her eyes away from the door, she looked down into the water. The half-melted ice floated lazily around in the water, thunking against the sides of the plastic cup. Taking a breath, she took a sip. The icy water felt good going down, washing away the stinging remnants of vomit from her mouth and throat.

Once she had her fill, she set the cup on a side table. She could hear Hans speaking through the closed door. Getting up, Marianne approached the window next to the office door, and peered out though the blinds. Hans was still sitting partially on the corner of the buffet table.

"I wanted this to be professional," Hans said, some food still in his mouth. "efficient, adult, cooperative – not a lot to ask... Alas, your Mr Takagi did not see it that way...so he won't be joining us...for the rest of his life."

It felt like Marianne had just been punched in the gut. The _way_ he said it... so matter-of-fact, so -by-the-way, so..._indifferent_. She bit back a gasp from the urge to break down again, and turned away, feeling her internals turning again. She tried to tune out Hans's voice behind her:

"We can go any way you want it. You can walk out of here or be carried out... but have no illusions... _We_ are in charge. So... decide now, each of you...and please remember...we have left nothing to chance."

She slowly sank into the seat, feeling numb again. Any return of tender feelings she had for Hans quickly vanished. He was cold, calculating, ruthless..._evil, deceptive, manipulative bastard! _Marianne thought bitterly. _I hope Dad gets rid of him ASAP._

As soon as she finished with her thoughts, a woman's panicked, frightened, ear-piercing scream filled the rooms. Marianne's heart jumped into her throat with such force, that she jumped to her feet and ran to the window and looked out, pulling the blinds apart to see. Hans was scampering towards the elevator, ordering his men to "Get them back!"

_What's in the elevator? _She wondered. Taking advantage of the distraction, she opened the office door, and walked out. Glancing around, seeing that no one has noticed that she left the office, Marianne went straight for the elevator. She neared the elevator, and peeked around the corner... the sickness was back again.

There was Tony. Dead. In an office chair. Red paint was smeared over his gray sweatshirt, and blood was spattered over his face. His glasses were gone. But the Santa hat on his head distracted Marianne the most. _Oh...my...God. How sick! Who could do this! _Then it dawned on her – he was sent up to get whoever set off the fire alarm. _Did Dad do this? _She wondered, horrified that such a thought would occur to her.

Hans never noticed that she was standing there behind him, staring at Tony's corpse. He pulled the sweatshirt straight to look at the red paint. Marianne took a quiet step closer to get a better look. It was writing, not smears!

Hans read it aloud, his voice calm and monotonous:

"'_Now I have a machine gun... Ho. Ho. Ho_.'"


End file.
